Zimbabwe tour scrapped

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The England and Wales Cricket Board released a statement confirming they were suspending bilateral arrangements with the African country, following the lead of South Africa earlier this week in response to the deteriorating situation in the country under President Robert Mugabe.

"The ECB deplores the position in Zimbabwe and, like Cricket South Africa, finds this untenable," the statement read.

It continued: "Therefore, all bilateral arrangements are suspended with Zimbabwe Cricket with immediate effect.

"The Government has written to the ECB today (Wednesday) and has made a clear instruction that Zimbabwe's bilateral tour, scheduled under the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2009, should be cancelled.

"The ECB, who have been in constructive and extensive dialogue with the department for culture, media and sport for some time, welcome the Government's decision and share the Government's concerns about the deteriorating situation and lack of human rights in Zimbabwe."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged other countries to join Britain in calling for Zimbabwe to be banned from the ICC World Twenty20, which is also being held in England.

"We want to ensure that Zimbabwe does not tour England next year. We will call for other countries to join us in banning Zimbabwe from the Twenty20 tournament," he told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions.

England will now look for other opponents in place of the Zimbabweans, who were due to tour before the 20-over tournament next summer.

One option would be to ask Bangladesh to tour a year early while Sri Lanka and Pakistan would be other possible opponents.